Disruptive Design: Research and Insights

An exploration of the processes, thinking and practices of primary, ethnographic based research; in this course, students explore how to collect compelling user stories as they come to understand the nuances of behavior, culture and emotion in the lives of their audiences. Students explore how to meaningfully connect user and audience understanding to strategies for enterprise and social change.

For
The client is NYC Smoke Free at Public Health Solutions

Type
Research, Ethnography and Story Telling

Cover

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Tobacco is not an equal opportunity killer. Individuals in certain communities are more at risk to become smokers and suffer from tobacco-­related disease and death. Social and economic differences, historical factors, and cultural practices all contribute to a higher rate of tobacco use and related disease in some populations.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

This is a quick overview of our process. In our research stage we tried to gather an understanding of the LGBTQ youth and their relationship with society and smoking tobacco. In the analysis stage we redefined our problem/challenge statement and finally in the synthesis our learning into opportunities and recommendations.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

We spoke with about 25 LGBT smokers across new york. Each of their stories was touching in their own way.

We met Quory at the LGBT Center right down the street in Chelsea. When we asked Quory and other LGBT smokers why they smoke… they consistently revealed that their stresses are unlike the average. Queer people endure discrimination, family pressure, health issues, body issues, and gender issues. Smoking rates in the gay community 68 percent higher than the average.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

We met Joseph at Gym Bar. Joseph is 32 and from Haiti. Joseph was kicked out of his home after he came out to his parents at the early age of 17. He came to NY in search of a life of acceptance. He still struggles to get by and feels isolated, but has developed great attitude. He hasn’t seen his parents since he left home. He often tries to reach out to his parents. Even on his own birthday, he calls them. But they always reply: “don’t come home until you’ve decided to be straight again.”

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

After chatting with Ashley for a short time, I discovered he was a transgender. Being a transgender meant to him that he was very isolated in his issues.
Ashley struggled a lot as a teenager. He said he wanted to pee standing up like his father, but couldn’t. He never had a space to talk about his issues because his mom was never available. His sister was a beautiful and popular and got along well with his mom always favored her. Ashley’s escape became videogames and smoking. He ended up moving away to New York to start a new life. He had very few positive things to say about his parents. Both his parents have since passed away. He suffers from bipolar disorder as well.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

In the interviews we asked them where they typically smoked – and we discovered an interesting pattern. When they smoke at home in the morning the number of cigarette is about 1, not too much. Then, in the formal place such as school and workplace in the afternoon, three cigarettes more than morning. And smoking at the bar at night is larger than the number of morning and noon.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Activity and we found that bar is the most trigger

We conducted participatory activity to LGBTQ people, then we found out that the highest preference of smoking is at bars, club and casino. Bars and clubs are places where they can share experiences. They can exchange cigarettes in face to face to have communication.

Trains, Subways are the second after bar and casino. They are high preference too. Getting a train in New York is a stressful experience. So it is customs for them to smoke after getting off the train or when waiting for someone. Also create stress and smoking here are common. Nothing better to do in the time of waiting, boring

Besides this, we found out that the outside space that feels a feeling of openness and free is not a place to induce smoking for LGBTQ people.

Finally, we found out that bar induce smoking mostly.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Bars and smoking are also strong trigger. so we focus on the bar is leverage point.

Thorough these interview and participatory activity, we found out that they need social bounding thorough gay culture at the gay bar. LGBT people in some areas have limited opportunities to interact with peers outside of smoking spaces. Bars are a few safe spaces for LGBT people, and they have played an important social role in the LGBT community for many decades. Also, the gay bar is recognized as a place exclusively for LGBTQ community. For that reason this place is a special place for them, and most trigger of smoking. And that’s why we focus on Gay bar as leverage point to this project.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

We visited 4 popular bars at peak hours on the weekends. We observed that some bars had more smokers than others. So We were curious why when we looked into these bars, we found that they have different architectural layout and factors.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

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Movie to explain about output – Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

The main factors of the bars promoted people’s smoking behaviors - the undivided space inside the bar - hard to have more private conversations - the glass wall and big windows - easy to be attracted to go outside - the facilities outside the bar: shelter, plant beds and trees - easy to stay and gather outside for smoking

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

We found a correlation between the layout of the bar on the experience of a smoker in a bar. Often times time, we noticed the physical factors affected the emotional response to the people in the space. If we imagine this map to show 3 hours of time spent at a bar, we can plainly see that when their emotional response is

PROBLEM
How might we….
1 Increase the effectiveness of more private and intimate interactions through architectural layout.
2 Decrease the level of comfort of smoking outdoors.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Depends on all the previous observation, we want to figure out why and how these architectural factors in bars. Influence people’s smoking behavior. And we think that might be the opportunity that we could change their behavior by changing the physical environment.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

The first influence is the low mobility and personal space inside increases the willingness to stay.

As you can see, the bar which has a big undivided space inside tends to be more public rather than suitable for more private conversations. So people easily move to outside.

The second influence is Decreased visibility between inside and outside decreases interaction.

That means, as our observation, a lot of people moved to outside because they were attracted by their friends outside, because they exactly saw somebody were smoking outside, here is where the connection and interaction happened.
because of transparency.

So, the small windows or high windows instead of big windows and glass walls can efficiently prevent people from being attracted to outside for smoking.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

The third influence is the protection from the weather elements increases time willing to spend outsid.

We found that, the more people felt comfortable staying outside, the more time they spend outside, and the more possible they involve in smoking.

So, removing the shelter or the awning outside could decrease the convenience of smoking outside in bad weather, thus decrease their frequency of smoking outside.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

The last influence is decreased space that facilitate staying decreases the time people are willing to spend outside.

We found that in some cases, the layout of border trees outside provides the space that facilitates smokers to stay and gather, but in other cases, because there is no special space for people to stay, and they can not stand on the street and block the traffic, so it’s less convenient for smokers, their smoking behavior might be hindered.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Tangible Space:
Increase the effectiveness of more private and intimate interactions through architectural layout. Decrease the level of comfort of smoking outdoors.

Intangible Space:
Develop programs that recreate the same needs of interaction of the LGBTQ community, but don’t center around harmful activities like smoking.

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

Final Presentation about LGBTQ Smoker

To summarize our findings:

We identified that LGBTQ smokers smoke for many reasons, but the main reason is because their social identity places increased stress on their lives.

LGBTQ smokers smoke in many places, but our research shows they smoke the majority of their cigarettes in the evening and at bars.

After observing popular gay bars in NY, we discovered some patterns the physical space had on smoking behaviors:

Low mobility and personal space inside increases the willingness to stay
Decreased visibility between inside and outside decreases interaction
Protection from the weather elements increases time willing to spend outside.
Decreased space for lingering decreases the time people are willing to spend outside.

Tangible Space:
•Develop a “Harm Free Space” or “Safe Space” certification program that push businesses to be held accountable for providing conditions that reduce smoking in LGBTQ community.
•Policy to designate outdoor smoking areas that are out of sight from the bar window.